The L.A. Times music blog

Details released on the passing of the Seeds' Sky Saxon

June 26, 2009 | 12:07
pm

Sky Saxon, leader of Los Angeles 1960s garage-rock band the Seeds, died early Thursday morning in Austin, Texas. Born Richard Marsh, Saxon was hospitalized on Monday. His death was made public via a Facebook status update from his wife, Sabrina Saxon, and confirmed later in the day by his publicist. His exact age is unknown, but he is believed to be in his mid-‘60s.

Saxon’s wife has been keeping fans updated on Saxon’s status via various social networking sites. He was hospitalized earlier this week for an undetermined internal infection and was reported to be in critical condition. A statement released last night revealed that Saxon ultimately died of heart and kidney failure due to the infection.

Saxon had recently moved east to Austin, where he had continued to be an active musician. Saxon had performed just last Saturday at the Austin club Antone’s, where he appeared with local garage-rock band Shapes Have Fangs, and was planning to tour this summer with surviving members of Love and the Electric Prunes. The tour is expected to go on.

The Seeds came together in the mid-'60s garage-rock boom, had a Top 40 hit in 1966 with “Pushing Too Hard,” marked by Saxon’s aggressive vocals and its dandified electric organ line. The Seeds came close to hitting the Top 40 again in 1967 with “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine,” which highlighted Saxon’s mewing scratch over a more traditional early rock ‘n’ roll groove, albeit one scorched with acid.

Like many bands of the era, the Seeds took its sloppy blues rock cues from the Rolling Stones. Yet the Seeds were equally influenced by the flower-power generation, and the 1967 album “Future” saw the Seeds retreating into more psychedelic cult status.

Saxon had been in the studio last year with the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, and was said to be working on a documentary on the Seeds.